Thorns and Roses
by noellerose
Summary: Alya is the Avatar, who'd been lost in a storm a hundred years ago. Now she is back and Alya is the only hope for the world - she has to save it from the clutches of the Fire Nation and restore balance between the four elements. However she is untrained and inexperienced, completely unprepared to face the fire lord. Will Alya be able to face the difficulties of her future and past?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any recognisable property of _Avatar: The Last Airbender_ , including the characters, dialogues, and places. It is the intellectual property of Viacom, Nickelodeon, Michael Dante DiMartino and Brian Konietzko. I only own my original characters and the storyline.

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 **THORNS AND ROSES**

 _An Avatar: The Last Airbender Fanfiction_

 **Full summary:** Alya is the Avatar, who'd been lost in a storm a hundred years ago. Now she is back, and she has a great responsibility thrust upon her. Alya is the only hope for the world—she has to save the world from the clutches of the fire nation and restore the balance between the nations. However, she is untrained and unexperienced—completely unprepared to face the fire lord. Will Alya be able to master being the Avatar and save the world in time? [Zuko/OC - Fem!Avatar]

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 ** _Prologue_**

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" _You are the Avatar, Alya. You must master the four elements and eventually, put an end to this war. You have a great responsibility on your shoulders and you must face your destiny."_ The Chief Monk's words rang in Alya's ears, poisoning her mind with fear and panic.

 _I'm the Avatar?! No…_ no! _How can it be possible? And if it is true, why did they keep the information from me for all these years? For Spirit's sake, I'm only a kid! How am I supposed to stop a war?!_

She leaned down, her neatly pinned hair falling into her face. She held her head in her hands, trying desperately to make sense of what had occurred in the past few hours as her thoughts ran helter-skelter.

 _And then there was the story they told me about my parents…_ She could remember the monks' condemning words about them. There was so much _hatred_ as the Chief Monk informed Alya about her parents that her heart had shattered right there, in the middle of the assembly hall. She didn't know what to believe anymore. Her whole life felt like a lie.

A tear slipped down her cheek. It was too much, all of this. The storm raging outside was nothing compared to the one swirling in her mind.

 _You must face your destiny._

 _It's a destiny I never asked for._

 _So I will not face it. Not yet._

She listened to the voices whispering in her head for a little while longer. The monks had told her that she would be headed to the Eastern Air Temple the next day. She wouldn't return to the Southern Air Temple, to Aang and Gyatso until her training as the new Avatar was done. She'd agreed to it—because she had no other choice. And yet… how could she _live_ with herself, away from her only family and with the ghosts of her pasts plaguing her mind?

The answer was simple. She _couldn't._ Not right now.

Suddenly, she knew what she had to do.

She wiped her tears, grabbed her staff and paced around her room, packing a few things she thought she might need on her journey (her _escapade,_ a small part of her mind whispered) in a rucksack before she stopped at the dresser, her eyes on a finely made jade bracelet illuminated by the frequent bursts of lightning. That was the only frivolity that the monks had allowed her.

They'd told her that it belonged to her mother.

The monks had told Alya that her mother was a brave, good woman when they had given her the bracelet as a child. But they'd lied, hadn't they? Because what they said today was a completely different story.

Thunder boomed outside her window, lightning cracking the sky into fragments. The sudden light illuminated the green of the jade as Alya stared at it with pained eyes. Her hand quivered over it before Alya sighed, picked the trinket up and fastened it around her right hand.

She would find out the truth about her family.

She _had_ to.

But she couldn't do that with the responsibility of the Avatar hanging over her head.

She would come back to fulfill her duty as the Avatar… but not now. Not now. Not until she found out what happened that made _her_ family become traitors to their culture and be catalysts for starting the new war. What made her father and mother loyal to the Fire Lord after abandoning their children to the monks.

Alya let out a deep calming breath before getting up and making her way towards the door. A scroll of parchment was clutched in her hand, a hurriedly written note for Monk Gyatso—he would understand her motives, hopefully. She had written that she would come back in a year and do as the Monks wished. She'd also requested Gyatso to watch over Aang, her little brother. She knew he was deeply affected by the revelations about their family, but she couldn't bring him along on her mission and endanger his life.

"Going somewhere, Alya?" A familiar, boyish voice asked as she made her way down the hallway with silent steps, and Alya flinched. _Speak of the devil…_

"Aang. Yes, I'm leaving for the South Pole. The Chief told us that was our father's birthplace. Perhaps I can get some answers there." Her little brother was someone she loved more than anyone else in the world, the only family she'd ever had besides Gyatso. She wanted him to accompany her on her mission, but a more protective instinct within her stopped her from asking him to do so.

"So… you're leaving?" Alya nodded and Aang's face fell. "But Alya… what about the-the whole Avatar thing? Won't the monks be mad that you left, especially after all those things they told us today? You were supposed to leave for the Eastern Air Temple tomorrow!"

"Shh, don't speak so loudly," she warned her brother. It was the dead of night and everyone was asleep, but she wouldn't risk waking anyone up. "Yes, Aang, I know that being the Avatar is a big deal and I probably shouldn't be doing this. But, I have to get answers, brother. I _need_ to. About our-our parents." Alya refrained from mentioning the war, mindful of the fact that the monks had chosen not to inform the younger ones about it. All she had told Aang was that their parents had a complicated history and had committed some serious crimes after leaving their children for the monks to raise. She put a hand on Aang's shoulder, smiling affectionately at him. "I'll be back, I promise. I'll be away for a year, at most. If I don't return… well… there'll be a new Avatar soon enough, anyway." Aang's eyes widened in alarm at her statement. Alya pressed a kiss to Aang's forehead. "I love you, Aang."

"Whoa, whoa, hold up. Are you leaving me behind? Nope, nope, not happening. I'm coming with you." Aang crossed his arms indignantly, staring defiantly into the azure blue eyes of his sister. "Just give me a minute to grab my things and I'll be here."

"Aang, no, it'll be too dangerous." Alya protested, grabbing the boy by his elbow to stop him from going back into his room. "Don't be so reckless. I told you I'll be back, there's no need to put your life in danger."

"No, Alya. They were _my_ parents, too. I want answers, too. I want to know why they left us. I'm an Airbender, so I can defend myself. You can't protect me forever, Alya. I'm _coming._ And that's final."

Alya blinked. She'd never seen her brother so… determined and stubborn. She kept quiet for a moment, contemplating the situation before nodding her head in acquiescence. It would be better to bring Aang, anyway. He'd be a great support, both emotionally and in the terms of defense. He'd mastered Airbending at the age of twelve, after all.

"Fine, grab your things, make it quick. I'll be waiting with Appa near your window. And _don't_ make noises. If Giru finds out, he'll rat us out in seconds."

Aang nodded and scurried into his room as Alya set off towards the sky bison stables, thinking furiously.

She only hoped that she'd made the right decision.

* * *

 **12.08.18**

Hi! Some of you might've seen this on another account here on FFN, but I had to deactivate it due to some personal reasons. I'll upload the story in its entirety here on this account now. Please tell me what you think of it! Don't forget to check my profile for my schedule for updates!

~ noelle


	2. Chapter 1: The Girl in the Iceberg

_**Chapter One**_

 _The Girl in the Iceberg_

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 **" _When you make a mistake, there are only three things you should ever do about it: admit it, learn from it, and don't repeat it._ "**

 _\- Paul Bear Bryant_

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It was a calm morning at the South Pole. The summer had brought in many fish from warmer waters, providing the Southern Water Tribe with plenty of food to catch. They sent canoes out every day to catch as many fish as possible—they would need it in case of a freak snowstorm or a Fire Nation attack.

A pair of siblings sat in one such canoe, the boy concentrating studiously on the water, his eyes following the movements of a fish while the girl faced away from him, well-versed with her brother's routine.

"It's not getting away from me this time. Watch and learn, Katara. This is how you catch a fish," the boy said smugly, his spear raised and his tongue sticking out a bit.

Katara rolled her eyes disbelievingly before the fish moved in front of her and caught her eye. Slowly, she removed her glove and breathed out, concentrating on the water.

She twisted her hands gracefully and a blob of water appeared from the ocean, containing the wriggling fish inside. "Sokka, look!" Katara exclaimed with a delighted smile on her face as she manipulated the water around the fish, trying to bring it into the canoe.

Sokka shushed her irritably. "Katara, you're gonna scare it away. Mm, I can already smell it cookin'!" He licked his lips in anticipation, oblivious to his sister's attempts.

"But Sokka! I caught one!" Katara said, trying desperately to control the sphere of water. But she had manipulated the water too far—it approached Sokka just as he raised his spear and the blob exploded, drenching him completely. The fish escaped, arching over Katara and landing into the ocean with a splash.

"Ugh! Why is it that every time you play with magic water I get soaked?" Sokka asked, shaking his soaked gloves and glaring at his sister.

"It's not _magic,_ it's _waterbending_ and it's—" Katara began, annoyed with her brother.

Sokka cut her off, waving his hands dismissively, "Yeah, yeah, an ancient art unique to our culture, blah blah blah. Look, I'm just saying that if I had weird powers, I'd keep my weirdness to myself." He shrugged and turned towards the front of the canoe, wringing his ponytail to get the water out and grabbing an oar.

"You're calling me weird? I'm not the one who makes muscles at myself every time I see my reflection in the water," Katara taunted her brother, sticking her tongue out at him when he turned back to give her an irate look.

Sokka was just about to say something when the boat bumped against a piece of ice and the siblings turned their attention towards the water. Their eyes widened when they realised that they'd floated into an icefield and both of them screamed, trying frantically to navigate through currents.

Katara yelled instructions at Sokka, but he was panicked and he did exactly the opposite of what his sister was trying to tell him. They were headed straight for a huge iceberg and each time they maneuvered the current, Katara knew that there was very little hope they'd get out of this unscathed.

Finally, after a few minutes of evading the dangerous landscape, their canoe got crushed between three floes of ice. Sokka and Katara jumped out just in time before they could meet a cold death in the middle of nowhere.

Katara scrambled to her feet and sent a resentful glare towards her brother. "You call that left?" she deadpanned.

Sokka immediately defended himself. "Hey, you don't like my steering? Well then, maybe you should have waterbended us out of the ice." He showed his obvious disdain for his sister's abilities with wiggling fingers, oblivious to her angry expression as she stood up.

"So it's my fault?" Katara asked in a deadly voice.

Sokka, as insensitive as ever, went on. "I knew I should have left you home. Leave it to a girl to screw things up," he lamented.

At this, Katara's face took on a furious expression and her mouth twitched. Suddenly, she exploded. "You are the most _sexist, immature, nut-brained.._ " she ranted, unaware of the waves she was creating in the water by her enraged hand gestures. The huge iceberg behind them started to crack ominously, much to Sokka's dawning apprehension.

However, Katara continued, having had enough of her brother's antics. "Ugh, I'm embarrassed to be related to you! Ever since Mom died I've been doing all the work around camp while you've been off playing soldier!" Another crack rose up the towering ice and Sokka hid his face in his hands.

"Uh… Katara?"

"I even wash all the clothes! Have you ever smelled your dirty socks? Let me tell you, _not pleasant!_ "

"Katara! Settle down!" The iceberg had begun to groan. _Not a good sign…_

"No, that's it. I'm done helping you. From now on, you're on your own!" And with a final yell, Katara brought her hands back again. The iceberg cracked completely—falling apart and sending a huge wave towards the siblings' ice floe which was thrust away by several feet due to the force.

The siblings looked up as the wave calmed, still lying flat on the ice, their gloved hands clutching the edge of the ice floe. Sokka glanced at his sister disbelievingly. "Oh, okay, you've gone from weird to freakish, Katara," he exclaimed, shaking his head.

Katara looked down at the water, frowning a bit. "You mean… _I_ did that?"

"Yup. Congratulations," Sokka drawled.

Suddenly, the water began bubbling an eerie blue, lighting up the two faces. They stood up slowly as another, smaller iceberg erupted from the water, still emitting the glow. It bobbed on the water for a while before coming to a rest. Katara and Sokka looked at each other apprehensively before turning towards the iceberg.

 _There's someone in there… a girl… is she meditating?_ Katara stepped forward a bit. _And there's someone else, too, is it?_ Katara could just make out the figure of a girl, emitting a strange glow and another humanoid figure beside her. Above them was a much larger silhouette, too big to be a human. Katara wondered what that could be.

Suddenly, the figure within the iceberg opened her eyes, which were glowing a strange white-blue. Katara's eyes widened.

"She's alive! We have to help." She grabbed her brother's whalebone sword before running towards the iceberg, despite Sokka's protests.

"Katara! Get back here! We don't know what that thing is!" Sokka's warnings were lost on her as she nimbly jumped towards the iceberg, a determined expression on her face.

She tried to pry open the iceberg by hitting the fragile wall. Sokka joined her, grumbling under his breath about how women spoil everything. Suddenly, the ice gave way and a huge blast of air was released. The siblings ducked, Sokka shielding Katara as a bright beam of the eerie blue light shot into the sky.

It lasted for a few seconds before it faded into the blue of the sky. Katara pulled away from Sokka, gasping as a person climbed out of the iceberg. It was a girl, as Katara had suspected, her dark brown hair pulled into a high ponytail except for a few strands tucked beneath her ears. She had tattoos resembling arrows on her hands and forehead, which were still glowing, along with her eyes.

"Stop!" Sokka shouted, pointing his spear at the glowing girl.

But the girl did not prove to be any threat to the siblings at all as she closed her eyes and fell head-first towards the siblings. Her fall was somewhat graceful, and Katara caught her head before it could hit the ground.

Sokka immediately began to poke around her with his spear, before Katara shooed him away. She gently rested the girl against the iceberg, before she heard someone's voice from inside the ice.

"Ugh… Alya? Are you there? Where are we?" The voice belonged to a young boy, a little cracked and rough from disuse. Sokka was instantly on his guard. Another shorter figure appeared on the edge of the iceberg just as the girl had and Sokka charged towards him with a battle cry, causing the figure to yelp and overbalance, falling on the ground in an undignified mess.

"Sokka, cut it out!" Katara glared at her brother, as she rushed to the boy and cradled him in her arms.

He groaned and Katara asked, "Are you okay?"

He whispered, "I will be soon, but you must tell me something." Katara raised a questioning eyebrow. "Please, come closer," he requested. Katara obliged his request, a little warily. "Will you go penguin sledding with me?" He asked, a sudden bright smile gracing his face as he leapt out of Katara's arms and stood up.

Katara looked at him as if he'd hit himself in the head. "Uh, okay, sure."

Suddenly, the unconscious girl caught his eye and he rushed over to her.

"Alya!" He exclaimed, shaking the girl's shoulder. "Alya, are you alright? Please be alright."

Alya groaned and sat up. "Aang?"

"Yeah, it's me!"

"Monkey-feathers, this is one terrible headache. How long have we been flying?"

"Uh… I don't think we were flying, Alya. These people found us in… ice?" He told questioningly, looking at the Water Tribe siblings and Katara shrugged in answer to his unspoken question.

"What? Who found us? Is it the Monks? Oh goodness, we're in so much trouble!" Alya's eyes wandered over to their saviours and she relaxed, noticing their clothes. "Oh, we reached the South Pole, then. _That's_ something."

She got up and walked over to the opening in the ice, her brother hot on her heels, and suddenly exclaimed, "Appa, buddy, you're okay! Wake up!"

There was a huge rumble in answer and Sokka's jaw dropped as he rounded the corner and saw the spectacle happening within the iceberg. Inside the iceberg was a huge bison, getting to his feet and licking Aang with a huge tongue.

"Ah!" Sokka screamed.

Alya turned to him and blinked. "Are you alright?"

"No, I'm not!" He hollered, waving his arms around himself in an expansive gesture. "You have a huge—monster! And how did you get in the ice?" Sokka looked as if he was going crazy as he pointed his spear to the siblings in front of him.

"First of all, Appa's not a _monster._ He's our flying bison. And secondly, I don't know." Alya shrugged, turning back to face Appa.

"Right, flying bison. And this is Katara, my flying sister," Sokka deadpanned as Katara rolled her eyes.

Aang began to reply but was cut short when Appa began to sneeze. The airbenders looked at each other before ducking down to avoid the snot, and Sokka got drenched in it.

Sokka made disgusted noises as Aang earnestly informed him that it would wash out. Alya turned to Katara, who'd been silent till now and asked her with a friendly smile, "So, are you from around here? I'm guessing you are if I can tell by your clothes."

Sokka stopped writhing on the ground and said urgently, "Don't answer that! Did you see that crazy bolt of light? She was probably trying to signal the Fire Navy." Alya rolled her eyes at his paranoia.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure she's a spy for the Fire Navy. You can tell by that evil look in her eye," Katara said sarcastically, giggling as Alya made dramatic impersonations of a Fire Navy spy, pretending to be stealthy and cunning. Sokka humphed at the two girls.

"And who's the lovely guy with you, Katara?" Alya asked, her eyebrows raised.

"Oh, the paranoid one is Sokka. We never got your names, though."

"I'm Alya, and this is…"

Aang took over. "I'm A-a-a-a—" He didn't complete his statement because he sneezed and shot straight into the air.

Katara and Sokka gaped at Aang as he landed and rubbed his nose. "I'm Aang."

Sokka looked at Aang as if he'd grown a third head. "You just sneezed… and flew ten feet into the air."

Alya rubbed her chin. "Really? It seemed higher than that."

Katara gave a gasp of realisation. "You're airbenders, aren't you?"

Alya shot a charming smile towards Katara as she twirled gracefully in the air and landed next to her. "We sure are!"

Sokka scoffed derisively before getting up and turning around. "Giant light beams... flying bison... airbenders... I think I've got Midnight Sun Madness. I'm going home to where stuff makes _sense."_

He stopped when he saw the deserted ice field—there was no way they could go back home without a canoe.

"Well, it seems you guys are stuck. Aang and I would love to give you a ride on Appa—we were headed for the South Pole anyway." Alya offered cheerfully, smirking slightly at Sokka.

"Oh, we'd love a ride!" Katara said, before rushing towards the bison and taking Aang's hand to get into the saddle.

"Oh, no, no, no. There's no way I'm getting on that snot monster," Sokka said, sticking his nose in the air.

"Well, there are three options, like I see it. Either you get on Appa, the snot-monster, and we can go home or you wait here and get eaten by a sea-serpent or some other more unpleasant kind of monster _or_ you freeze to death," Alya said, tapping her feet impatiently on the ice.

Sokka opened his mouth but closed it before saying anything and dragged his feet towards Appa, muttering the whole way. Aang shifted to the saddle with the Water Tribe siblings while Alya sat in the driver's seat and flicked the reins.

"Okay, first time fliers, hold on tight!" Alya exclaimed. "Appa, yip yip!"

Appa just groaned and flapped his tail, trying to take off but failed due to sheer exhaustion. He jumped a few feet in the air before landing in the water with a big splash. Alya patted his fur sympathetically, understanding his exhaustion.

"Wow, that was truly amazing," Sokka deadpanned, leaning back into the saddle.

"Appa's tired, alright?" Alya defended the bison.

"Yeah, he just needs a little rest and he'll be soaring through the sky. You'll see," Aang says, making a swooping motion with his hand, his eyes fixed on Katara the entire time. Alya looked back, her eyes moving back and forth between her brother and the Water Tribe girl and smirked, thinking it was the beginning of Aang's first crush.

Katara noticed the idiotic smile on his face and asked, "Why are you smiling at me like that?"

"Huh, I was smiling?" Aang laughed nervously and Alya rolled her eyes.

 _This is going to be painful to watch._

Sokka apparently thought the same thing, because he groaned and threw his head back in disgust, causing Alya to snicker delightedly.

A few hours passed before anyone spoke. Katara had a contemplative expression on her face as she crawled forward and addressed the airbender siblings. "Hey, Aang, Alya?"

"Yeah?" They both asked in unison. Alya twirled in her seat to face the waterbender, her expression questioning.

"I guess I was wondering—your being an airbender and all—if you had any idea what happened to the Avatar." She asked, a genuinely curious expression on her face.

A cold shiver ran down Alya's spine. Aang looked at her concernedly, opening his mouth to reply before Alya shook her head. _Let me handle this._

"We don't know, Katara. We never met him, we only knew of him. The Monks used to talk about the Avatar all the time. I don't know much about him though…. I'm sorry to disappoint you." _I'm sorrier than you'll ever know._

"Oh, no it's okay, just curious," Katara said, a slightly disappointed expression on her face.

"Well, I'm going to take a nap now. Good night!" Aang chirped, a little awkwardly, before promptly falling asleep within seconds, cuddled up against one corner of the saddle. Alya sometimes swore that he had some supernatural power to fall asleep at lightning speed in any kind of uncomfortable place.

A few minutes passed in silence. Alya had turned back to guide Appa, but seeing that they were swimming in clear waters, she decided to continue the conversation with Katara. "Hey, Katara? Can I ask you something?" She nodded her head.

"Do you know anyone called Sobrek from your tribe?" _Sobrek was a traitor, a murderer!_ The monk's words echoed in Alya's ears.

"Sobrek? No. Why do you ask?"

"Oh… he was just someone I knew… or at least I was supposed to." Suddenly a thought struck her. "Do you know Kanna? She must be about your age. Looks a lot like you, actually." Alya frowned. She'd been to the South Pole loads of times but she'd never seen Katara or Sokka, now that she thought of it.

"Alya, Kanna is the name of my _grandmother,_ " Katara said slowly. "There's no one else named Kanna in our tribe."

Alya's insides froze with shock. "Your… grandmother," she said weakly.

"Uh-huh. Do you—do you know how long you were in that iceberg?" Katara asked.

Alya shook her head. "Maybe a few days? Hours? It certainly didn't feel more than a week, at least."

"Alya… I think it was more like a hundred years," Katara said gently as she placed a hand on Alya's arm.

 _A hundred years._

"Has the war stopped?" She asked, faintly, hoping the answer was positive. She couldn't bear the guilt if it weren't. The war had just begun during Alya's time. Surely, the combined forces of the Earth Kingdom would've been enough to stop the Fire Nation fairly quickly, right?

"No, Alya. It has been raging on for a hundred years now. And the way things are… the Fire Nation is probably going to win."

 _The war has been going on for a hundred years. I could've stopped it if I hadn't run away… Oh, what have I done?!_

* * *

Alya shivered as she stepped out into the frigid air, feeling the loss of her warm blanket as she did so. They'd travelled on Appa for hours, and had finally landed in a tiny silent village in the wee hours of the morning. Katara had suggested that they get some rest before they met the villagers and the village elder—her grandmother, Kanna. Katara had glanced worriedly at Alya as she spoke to Aang, but Alya was too caught up in her own thoughts to pay much attention to Katara.

Katara had provided them with a small, unused tent that she said belonged to a man named Bato. A sad look had come over her when she said his name, and Alya wondered about it, but she was too tired to question Katara. She'd fallen asleep between the soft furs and warm blankets within minutes, but her peace was only short lived.

Alya shivered as she remembered the nightmare that had caused her to wake up in a cold sweat in the wee hours of the morning. She recalled the dreadful storm in the dream and the way she'd saved Aang, Appa and herself by encasing themselves in the ice. It was a horrible memory, but at least it filled the gaps and everything made more sense now.

"C'mon, Alya, I gotta introduce you to the village!" Katara exclaimed, pulling Alya by the arm and interrupting her reverie. Aang was already standing near the fire pit, smiling cheekily at the kids while he pulled faces at Sokka's back. Alya smiled and shook her head. Her little brother hadn't changed at all.

"Alya, Aang, this is the entire village," Katara said, beaming. "Entire village, this is Alya and Aang." Alya smiled weakly and gave a faltering wave while Aang bowed to them.

However, the villagers pulled back warily from the siblings, except for the oldest woman who was watching Alya with a curious expression on her face. "It can't be…" she whispered under her breath.

"Um… why are they all looking at us like that? Did Appa sneeze on me? Did he sneeze on _you,_ Alya?" Aang thoroughly inspected his clothes, but Kanna interrupted.

"Well, no one has seen airbenders in a hundred years. We thought they were extinct until my granddaughter and grandson found you. And I haven't seen _you_ since my marriage, Alya. You don't look a day older than you did then." Kanna smiled at her old friend, amused by her expression of disbelief.

"Kanna? Is that really you? _Wow,_ you're old." Alya said, giggling a little. She went forward hesitantly and whispered, "Has it really been that long?"

Kanna could detect the note of guilt in Alya's voice and gestured for her to follow her into one of the tents, thinking it was time they had a long talk. "Come. Why don't we discuss this over some food? I might be old, but I _do_ remember that you loved my stewed sea-prunes!" Kanna chuckled quietly as she and Alya made their way into the tent, Alya's face deep in thought while Kanna looked slightly bemused by the proceedings.

"My watchtower!" Sokka cried, just as Alya entered the tent, as said structure came crashing down due to Aang's gliding. The children giggled quietly as Sokka stomped off in fury, mumbling about _Midnight Sun Madness_ as he went.

* * *

Kanna's tent was cozy and warm, filled with the aroma of herbs found in the tundra during summer. Alya remembered the times as a child when she would pick the herbs with Kanna and dry them out in the pleasantly warm sun.

She sighed. "All those times I came here, I used to think that it was only to visit you… but it was only after the monks told me about… about my family that I realised that this place was my home, too." Alya sighed and leaned forward, her unusually unkempt hair falling into her eyes.

"I know."

Alya looked up to see Kanna, who had a wise smile on her face. "You know? You know about, about _Sobrek_? And-and me being the Avatar?" Alya questioned, blinking at the old woman.

"Well, yes, I do." Kanna chuckled slightly, ladling some stew into a bowl. "The day after you ran away, the monks came looking for you. They told us that this was most likely the place you would come to and when I asked them the reason, they narrated the whole story to me. And no, before you ask, I don't blame you for what you did. Yes, I was angry at first, angry and betrayed, but I knew you had your reasons. So _don't_ drown yourself in guilt, Alya." Kanna handed her the steaming bowl and smiled at her sympathetically.

"How can I not feel guilty? I ran away from my responsibilities for my own selfish reasons and the whole world paid the price! The war has been going on for a hundred years now, Kanna! How much has everyone lost? How much has your tribe lost? Katara told me about the Fire Nation attacks, about the men aiding the Earth Kingdom. How can you say you're not angry with me when I caused all of this?" Alya had stood up and begun pacing, agitatedly. When Katara had narrated the events of the past hundred years when they were travelling on Appa, Alya had become choked with guilt. And now, everything was bursting forth, her pain, her anger and her utter shame at abandoning those innocent people to the hands of the Fire Nation.

"Do you remember what Monk Gyatso used to say to us? _Whatever can happen, will happen._ Remember that, Alya. This was written in your fate. There was no way you could avoid it. Yes, what you did was wrong. You have to accept that and move on. You can amend your mistakes—you can still save the world from the clutches of the Fire Lord. You are a good person, Alya. I am sure you will find the right path, if only you believe in yourself and let go of the past."

Alya blinked slowly, looking into her stew before sighing deeply. Kanna watched her old friend as a myriad of emotions flitted past her face before a mischievous smile graced her lips. "You still haven't lost your touch at inspirational speeches, Kanna. It seems that Katara has inherited her unnecessary eloquence from you," Alya teased.

"Keep quiet, you rabbit-monkey!" Kanna said a surprisingly youthful smile etched in the lines of her face. "Come on then, let's join your brother and my silly grandkids. I swear by Tui and La that one day, they'll get into a mess that they can't get out of using sheer luck and I will have to go after them and drag them back home." Kanna shook her head and gestured for Alya to finish her stew faster so that they could go outside.

Alya stepped out into the village centre, studying the scene around her. The women were attending to their chores while the children played with their carved toys and the snow happily, with innocent grins on their faces. Alya smiled for a moment before it faltered. It was because of her selfishness that these kids had lost their fathers to the war. It was because of her that their childhood was scarred before it had even begun.

 _I shouldn't have left._

Suddenly, she realised that her brother was missing. And Katara was nowhere to be seen, too.

"Huh, Aang and Katara are missing. I wonder what they're up to," Alya commented casually to Kanna, who narrowed her eyes. Aang spelt trouble for her impressionable granddaughter, even though he was clueless about it. She only hoped that they didn't get into too much trouble.

* * *

"So… your grandmother and Alya know each other, huh? That's kinda weird," Aang said as he poked and peeped into the Fire Navy's ship, oblivious to Katara's discomfort.

"Yeah, well…" Katara trailed off, not sure how to tell Aang that it hadn't actually been a few days that they spent in the iceberg, but a whole hundred years. Aang seemed unaware of the war, unlike Alya and Katara felt sorry for the cheerful guy, so innocent and happy. She had to tell him about him being in the iceberg for a century and the war soon.

Katara shivered as a few weapons caught her eye. "This ship has haunted my tribe ever since Gran-Gran was young. It was part of the Fire Nation's first attacks."

"Katara… you keep talking about the war, but I have friends all over the world, even in the Fire Nation. I've never seen any war."

Katara sighed, knowing that it was time she told Aang about their disappearance. "Aang, how long were you in that iceberg?"

"I don't know... a few days, maybe?" Aang shook his head confusedly.

"I think it was more like a hundred years," said Katara, a sad and understanding look on her face. Alya and Gran-Gran's interaction in the morning had pretty much confirmed it for her. There was no way that the siblings were born in this decade if one of them knew Gran-Gran as a young girl and the other had no clue about the war.

"What? That's impossible. Do Alya and I look like we're a hundred years old to you?" Aang demanded, refusing to believe Katara's words.

"Aang, I'm sorry… but, you don't know about the war. And the war is a century old. Alya knew Gran-Gran when she was younger, and Gran-Gran is almost a hundred now. The facts all add up, Aang." Katara placed a hand on Aang's shoulder, soothing him as best she could.

Aang was in a turmoil. _A hundred years!_ He couldn't believe it. They'd been missing for a hundred years. Everyone they knew was probably dead. And Alya was the _Avatar._ Where had she been when the world was at war? In an iceberg? _She could've stopped the war, but we ran away!_

"A hundred years!" Aang whispered, falling back towards the wall.

"I'm sorry, Aang. Maybe, somehow, there's a bright side to all of this."

Aang smiled up at Katara. "I did get to meet you."

Katara smiled back at Aang sweetly, before dragging him up to his feet. "Come on, let's get out of here."

They'd only walked a little while when Katara felt a chill run down her back. "Aang? Let's get out of here, this place is creepy," she said.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, there was a clatter of movements when Aang tripped over an almost invisible wire. The mechanism still worked perfectly and trapped the two in the room, the iron trap door falling down with a definite _clang_. Katara stared at it with dread.

Aang stared at Katara sheepishly. "What's that you said about booby traps?"

A mechanism set off, steam coming out of the machines and causing a chain reaction which set off a flare high in the frigid air of the South Pole.

"Uh oh," Aang said quietly. He thought furiously about a quick escape plan from the place. Suddenly, he spotted a hole in the ship's ceiling and an idea formed in his mind.

"Hold on tight!" he warned Katara, before picking her up and airbending gracefully out of the hole and into the icy plains that surrounded the ship.

Katara gave a yelp as he jumped high into the air before setting her down gently on an ice shelf. "Phew, close call," she said, hoping fervently that there were no Fire Navy ships around to see the flare.

"Yeah," Aang agreed, but his eyes were glassy as if his mind was on something else.

 _We've made a mess of things, Alya._

* * *

 **15.08.18**

I have a holiday today, so I'm writing the third chapter. I'm halfway through, already! Okay, now, I think you guys need to know a few (minor) changes I've made to the original AtLA universe.

1\. Kanna is at least thirty years older than in canon. I think in canon, she was about seventy-ish. Here, she is obviously over a hundred. I thought about shortening the whole timeline to accommodate her age, but that's just too much trouble than it's worth.

2\. Alya is 16, Aang is 12. I have altered canon so that Alya was informed of the war (which had started to take root a month or so before the run-away stunt) and the whole Avatar thing (and the mystery about her family) just before she left. Quite obviously, such heavy news would have a great emotional impact on her and she ran away. Aang was not informed of the war by either the monks or Alya. In the absence of the responsibility of the Avatar, the monks would probably consider him to be too young, just like the rest of the Air Nomad children, to be informed of the war just yet. Even in canon, the monks didn't actually tell Aang why they informed him that he was the Avatar four years before they were supposed to. I hope this clears up the confusion about Alya knowing about the war and Aang's ignorance. I simply think that as a more mature Avatar and person, the monks saw it fit to inform Alya of the war. (Not that it turned out well, but...)

If you have any more suggestions or something along those lines, please leave a review! I'd love to hear from you guys!

 **16.08.18**

I've edited a few bits of the chapter to make it flow better and cover a few inconsistencies. I hope it's better now! Thank you to Arianna Le Fay and stkichi for their wonderful reviews and suggestions.

~noelle

 _p.s.:_ A Happy Independence Day to all my fellow Indians! And to the rest of the world, have a great Wednesday! :)


	3. Chapter 2: New Beginnings

_**Chapter Two**_

 _New Beginnings_

* * *

 **" _You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down._ "**

 _\- Mary Pickford_

* * *

Alya watched worriedly as the sun began to set on the village. It was quite late, but Katara and Aang hadn't returned yet. Sokka was freaking out due to the flare he'd seen earlier. He was convinced that Aang was a Fire Nation spy who was out to get the Southern Water Tribe. Alya had gotten so annoyed with his accusations that she'd blown him into the pile of snow that was once his 'watchtower' with a firm gust of wind.

"Yay! Aang's back!" One of the girls said and Alya breathed a sigh of relief. Her little brother was impulsive and adventurous, and she didn't want to know the kinds of trouble he could get into. She was thankful he didn't end up in a mess this time.

Alya tried to get to the edge of the village first but was rudely pushed aside by Sokka, who looked like he was on a warpath. Alya groaned, knowing that this wouldn't end well.

As Katara and Aang approached the group of people clustered around them, Sokka began his rant, pointing an accusing finger at Aang. "I knew it! You signaled the Fire Navy with that flare! You're leading them straight to us, aren't you?" Alya rolled her eyes at Sokka's prejudice and took a deep breath to control her annoyance.

Katara immediately went to Aang's defense. "Aang didn't do anything. It was an accident."

Aang nodded. "Yeah, we were on the ship and there was this booby trap and well… we 'boobied' right into it." He gave a weak chuckle, which faltered under Alya's fierce glare.

"How many times do I need to tell you that you should _think_ before you do something, Aang? Did you even realise how dangerous it could be for these people if the Fire Nation got to know that they lived here? You are _so_ dumb, sometimes." Alya scowled at her little brother and cuffed him on the head.

"Alya's right. Katara, you shouldn't have gone on that ship. Now we could all be in danger!" Kanna shook her head disappointedly at her granddaughter.

Aang looked stricken. He took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Don't blame Katara! I brought her there. It's my fault." Aang hung his head, shame filling his features.

"Oh, Aang," Alya said, a little sympathetically. She thought that it wouldn't be a surprise if they were banished from the village for this incident. It concerned the safety of the villagers, after all. Alya would understand, but Aang would be devastated. He _hated_ disappointing people.

Sokka immediately latched onto Aang's confession. "Aha! The traitor confesses! Warriors, away from the enemy!" he commanded the children, who moved away from Aang and towards Kanna. "The foreigners are banned from our village!" Sokka declared, pointing at the airbending siblings.

Alya scowled at Sokka as Aang drooped a little. She knew Sokka was partially right, but at least he could be a little more solicitous of Aang's feelings.

Much to her surprise, Katara stepped up with an indignant look on her face. "Sokka, you're making a mistake," she exclaimed angrily.

Sokka whirled to face his sister. "No! I'm keeping my promise to Dad. I'm protecting you from threats like him, and his sister!" He pointed at the airbending siblings. Despite her anger with the Water Tribe warrior, she sympathised with him. Alya could understand where Sokka was coming from. He had a responsibility towards his village, and he was fulfilling it.

"We aren't a _threat_ to the village, Sokka. We never meant any harm. Aang is just… a little too boisterous sometimes and this time, he got into trouble," Alya said, glaring at her younger brother, who shrunk back a little.

"Ha, and I'm supposed to believe you, Miss Trapped-In-An-Iceberg? Do you think I've forgotten how you tried to signal the Fire Nation back then when we discovered you in the iceberg with that crazy bolt of light?" Sokka sniffed.

Alya's mouth twitched and she was just about to airbend Sokka into a pile of snow when Katara interrupted. "Aang and Alya are not our enemies! Don't you see? They've brought us something we haven't had in a long time. Fun."

Katara smiled softly at Alya and Aang. Alya only smiled tightly, while Aang grinned broadly, looking as though he was ready to fall at her feet. Alya just rolled her eyes at her brother's obvious crush.

"Fun?" Sokka scoffed. "We can't fight firebenders with _fun._ "

"You should try it sometime." Aang gave Sokka his most winsome smile, but the older boy was not having it.

"Get out of the village. Now!" He ordered, pointing at the horizon as he glared imperiously at the siblings.

Alya's eyes turned cold. "Fine. Come on, Aang. Let's not linger in a place where we aren't welcome. Just so you know, Sokka, we never were with the Fire Nation nor were we here to stir trouble." She glared at the boy, who just stared grumpily back. "Katara, thanks for getting us out of the iceberg. And for the talks. It was wonderful knowing you. I'm only sorry we couldn't help you be a better waterbender." Alya smiled at the waterbender, who gave her a weak smile.

"Kanna…" Alya trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"Go on, Alya. I am so sorry we had to part this way, but Sokka is right. Going on that ship was forbidden, and your brother did. Besides, you have a long road facing you." Kanna nodded wisely and a little pensively. "Farewell."

"No, Grandmother, how can you let Sokka do this?" Katara cried. "Aang, Alya, please don't go!" Alya's heart ached for the young girl standing before her.

"Katara, stand back. You know the rules. They have to be banished. Sokka is right with his decision."

"Then I'm banished too!" Katara cried, rashly, moving over to stand with the airbending siblings. "Come on, let's go!" She told them, grabbing Aang by the shoulders and propelling him forward at a rapid pace.

Alya hurried after them, an annoyed frown marring her face. "Katara. Stop. Think about what you are doing."

Just then, Sokka hurried towards the trio. "Where do you think you're going?" He demanded of Katara.

Katara lifted her chin defiantly. "To find a waterbender. Aang promised that he and his sister would take me to the North Pole."

Aang looked confused for a moment before his face cleared up. "I did? Great!"

Alya sighed, and was about to talk some sense into the two when Sokka called out, "Katara! Would you really choose a couple of airbenders over your tribe? Over your own _family_?"

Katara sighed and halted, an uncertain look on her face. Alya came to a stop next to the conflicted girl and said firmly, but gently. "Katara, thank you for your support, but I can't allow you to make this decision. They are your family. We are strangers. The last thing I want to do is tear you away from your family." She put a comforting hand on the younger girl's shoulder.

"Alya's right, Katara. We can't come between you and your family." Aang's big grey eyes were sorrowful and a small pout tugged at his lips. Seeing him like this reminded Alya just how young her brother actually was.

"So… so this is goodbye? You're leaving the South Pole?" Katara asked in a small voice.

Alya nodded as Aang smiled at his friend. "Yeah… thanks for penguin sledding with me. I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you."

"Where will you go?" Katara asked, turning to face Alya.

"Probably back to the Southern Air Temple," Alya said. _Or what's left of it anyway…_ she mentally added. Kanna had told her about how the Fire Nation had wiped out the Air Nomads just to find her. It hadn't helped the guilt sloshing in her stomach in any way. She could only hope that some of them had survived.

"Yeah… woah, Alya, we haven't cleaned our rooms in a hundred years! Not looking forward to that," he said, giving a weak chuckle. Alya frowned. Her brother didn't know much about the consequences of the war. Heck, he didn't even know about the war itself. How would he take the death of the airbenders?

Alya propelled herself into the air and gracefully landed in Appa's driver's seat. "It was nice meeting everyone," Aang said with his usual smile, before getting on behind Alya in the saddle.

"Thank you for your hospitality," Alya added.

She faced Aang as Sokka taunted snidely. "Let's see your bison fly now."

Alya's annoyance with the Water Tribe boy got the better of her and she sent an inconspicuous breeze towards him which made him slip on the snow and land on his butt. She snickered a little, putting on a blank face as an enraged Sokka got up.

"Come on, Appa! Yip yip!" Alya tried to coax the bison into flying.

But Appa was still tired and just got on his feet, rumbled and began walking towards the water.

"Yeah, I thought so," Sokka said, a little gleefully.

Alya threw another dirty look towards Sokka and she caught sight of Pala, a little girl whom Alya had helped during the morning's chores, running towards Appa.

"Alya, Aang! Please don't go! We'll miss you!" She cried, tears shining in her blue eyes.

"We'll miss you too," Alya admitted, a sad smile on her face. "But we have to go now." She looked at Aang, who looked like he was almost tempted to stay back because of the girl's plea.

Aang looked at Katara one last time, before turning his sad eyes to Alya, who had an insistent look in her eyes that prompted Aang to turn his back to the village. "Come on, boy, let's go." Alya flicked Appa's reins and the bison began walking slowly, away from the village.

Alya kept her eyes on the sinking sun, refusing to look back at the village that meant so much to her, not just because of her past, but also due to the fact that they were the very first people to actually accept her after a very long time.

* * *

Alya rested her head against Appa's soft, warm belly as she stared up at the iridescent ice of the ring structure that she and Aang were resting in. The South Pole was a desolate, yet beautiful place and that was one of the reasons why Alya loved to visit it.

Appa grumbled beneath her, seemingly out of discontent. Alya sighed and shifted a little, understanding exactly was Appa was trying to say.

Aang articulated his thoughts. "Yeah, I liked her too, Appa."

Alya decided it was her time to speak and soothe Aang's guilt and loneliness. "Aang, I knew you liked Katara a lot—not just because she was kind or anything like that, but because she was the first person who didn't shun us after the whole Avatar thing happened to me—well, technically she didn't know about it, so…" Alya halted her ramble and got to the point, noticing that her brother appeared distracted, having gotten up suddenly. "Well, the point is, we've got to move on. The world needs the Avatar. The world needs _me._ You have to know we couldn't have stayed—"

" _Shh,_ " Aang interrupted her, still looking out into the distance.

"Ex _cuse_ me? And here I was trying to make you feel better… ugh, _boys._ " Alya huffed.

"Alya, there's a Fire Navy ship headed to the village! Stop rambling and grab your glider. We gotta go, _now_!" Aang exclaimed urgently.

Alya quickly shot to her feet, glider in hand. She spotted the black metal of a Fire Nation ship heading steadily towards the tiny village and her eyes widened.

"Stay here, Appa! We'll be back for you. Aang, c'mon, let's go!" She commanded, throwing her glider in the air and holding on to it smoothly as she soared through the air.

 _I've got to save them._

* * *

Turns out, the airbending siblings had strayed quite far away from the village and they had to travel for almost half an hour before they could reach the village. Alya flew at the fastest speed she could manage, but she knew it was too late to prevent the ship from entering the village as she approached the damaged wall, the hull of the menacing ship sticking out of it.

She could see Aang speeding below her on a penguin. Alya rolled her eyes at her brother's childishness, silently amused but also slightly disapproving of how childish her little brother could be in such serious situations.

 _But then again,_ she thought. _He_ is _a kid._ Alya reflected pensively on how the events awaiting in her future might change her little brother's perspective on the world. She knew that the immediate future of the Avatar wouldn't be all flowers and rainbows, especially with the war on the verge of an unfavourable outcome and she also knew that Aang would refuse to leave her side—just like he had on the day of the storm. She only hoped that she could protect him as much as possible from the darkness that had taken over the world.

Her attention was drawn back to the village as she saw two figures charging towards each other—one was Sokka and the other looked like a high-ranking Fire Nation soldier if she were to go by the ostentatious armour he wore. Sokka appeared to be losing—and badly at that, as he was repeatedly hit in the head by the end of his own spear.

Alya heard the whooshing of something pass her—Sokka's boomerang heading back to its master—and grinned as she watched the boomerang strike the soldier's head and throw him off balance as his helmet was displaced. The soldier sprang back up, his stance furious.

At the same moment, Aang rocketed towards the Fire Nation soldier, knocking him off his feet. Alya outright laughed as the helmet was finally thrown off the guy's head and landed on his butt.

Alya swooped down low, landing next to a bunch of snow-covered (yet, cheering) kids and Katara, who gave her a big smile.

"Hey, Katara. Hey, Sokka." Aang waved cheerfully at the Water Tribe siblings.

Sokka turned towards Alya and said wryly, "Hey, Alya. Hey, Aang. Thanks for comin'."

Alya smiled, a little sardonically, before turning to face the Fire Nation soldier, who had gotten to his feet and was closing in on Aang. _Perhaps they assumed that Aang is the Avatar rather than me._

Aang readied his staff to defend himself and blew a powerful blast of air in all directions to repel the soldiers. The soldier's one good eye widened as he looked at Aang. He shielded himself from the frigid wind that Aang had bended but stood his ground.

"No…" He muttered, as his expression twisted into one of disbelief. "You're the last airbender? _You're_ the Avatar?" He asked.

Alya heard Katara's quiet gasp beside her. "Aang?"

"No," Sokka intoned.

That's when Alya decided to step in.

"Yeah, no," she quipped, airbending herself in front of Aang gracefully. "I'm sorry to inform you, _hothead,_ but Aang is neither the Avatar nor the last airbender."

Alya watched his expression twist into an uglier one at her nickname. "Ha, so the Avatar's a _girl?_ That's even more pathetic than the Avatar being a child," he spat, tauntingly. "I've spent years… training, meditating for this encounter. And you… you're just a teenage girl. You just made my job easier." He even looked like he meant.

"First of all, you're a sexist little prick. Secondly, I'm going to make you eat your words, hothead." Alya assumed a bending stance, waiting with baited breath for the soldier to strike. She studied him properly for the first time. His scar was the most prominent feature, standing out starkly against his partially bald head and pale skin. His eyes were a beautiful golden colour—more golden than any other firebender's eyes she'd ever seen. His armour indicated that he was probably from the royal family or a very highly ranked general. Considering he was so young, he must have been a prince or something of the sort. But what was a Fire Prince doing in the desolate tundras of the South?

Alya didn't have the time to wonder as the young firebender fired an onslaught of attacks on her. Alya smoothly bended them away from her, not letting her fear show on her face. She'd never really fought a firebender in a proper duel before.

The firebender kicked out, sending a powerful flame towards Alya. She gasped involuntarily and spun her glider in a circle, deflecting the flames. However, the flames were redirected towards the villagers, who screamed and flinched away from the flames. Alya, bending backward to avoid the onslaught of heat caught sight of the terrified expressions of the villagers and her heart clenched.

She immediately straightened up and faced her enemy, a determined expression on her face.

 _I will not let anyone get hurt because of me, ever again._

"Stop!" She yelled at the irate Fire Nation soldier. "Will you promise to leave everyone alone, if I go with you?" she questioned, her eyes never straying from his golden ones.

He didn't let his guard down though, looking at the Avatar intently. Suddenly, he seemed to make a decision, as he straightened up, gave a curt nod and gestured for his soldiers to capture Alya.

Her staff was grabbed from her hand and she was pushed forward by a rough pair of hands, towards the gloomy interior of the ship.

"Alya! No, don't do this!" Katara yelled, her blue eyes desperate.

Alya smiled reassuringly at her new friend. "Don't worry, I'll be alright." She looked significantly at Aang as she said the next sentence. "Take care of Appa for me, won't you? He'll need some exercise before sunset." She hoped her brother got the message as he gave her a tiny nod.

That was the last thing she saw as she was shoved into the glowing red corridors of the ship and the hull was raised.

"Head a course for the Fire Nation," the firebender ordered a satisfied gleam in his golden eyes. "I'm going home."

The Avatar was finally in the clutches of the Fire Nation.

* * *

"Who are you? Why are you so desperate to capture me?" Alya asked the Fire Nation soldier as she innocuously studied the rope binding her hands together. She didn't need her hands to escape the ship, but it would be helpful to have her hands unbound if she had to fight anyone. "I mean… I know why you want to capture me—Fire Nation hates the Avatar and all that—but why _you_ in particular? You seem like you have better jobs to do."

"Be quiet, girl!" The firebender snarled, his fists smoking. "You're a prisoner, not a guest and I _will_ use any and every means to stop you from escaping or doing anything remotely suspicious." His eyes glowed as he stared into Alya's defiant eyes.

"Hey, don't I have the right to ask _some_ questions, at least? I remember the Fire Nation law— it said the prisoner had a right to defend themselves. Or has it changed in the past hundred years?" She asked, an eyebrow quirked. She heard someone chuckle behind the grumpy firebender and saw a genial-looking old man smiling in amusement at the scene playing out in front of him.

"No!" The firebender snapped. He whipped towards the guards and ordered them, "Take the prisoner to the prison hold and make sure she _stays_ there! And don't give out any information!"

He snatched her staff from one of the guards and examined it. "This staff will make an excellent gift for my father. I suppose you wouldn't know your father, being raised by monks," he sneered. A frisson of pain shot through Alya at the thought of her father. _A traitor. He betrayed everyone!_ The whispers were resurfacing in her mind.

"Take this to my quarters," he said, shoving the staff towards the old man.

The man looked vaguely insulted but calmly passed it on to a soldier. "Hey, mind taking this to Prince Zuko's quarters for me?"

So that was his name. Prince Zuko. Why in the _world_ was the prince of the Fire Nation hunting for the Avatar? And what was with the scar? Alya pondered these questions as the guards led her to a drafty corridor, not really paying attention to their prisoner.

Alya bit her lip. She might be able to use this to her advantage. "So… I bet you've never fought an _airbender_ before, right?" The guards didn't respond.

She smirked. "I bet I can take you with both of my hands tied behind my back," she boasted cockily.

"Silence!" One of the guards yelled.

They came to a stop in front of a door and the guard in front of her searched for the keys and stepped forward to open the door. Alya inhaled deeply, and exhaled with all her might, making the guard with the keys crash into the door with a loud _clang._

The reaction force caused her to propel herself and the other guard backward right down the hallway and the guard crashed into the stairs, offering Alya a cushion as she quickly got to her feet and propelled herself upwards towards the deck.

Landing smoothly, she ran towards the only door she could see on the opposite side of the deck, using an airbending-kick to blast it open. She could hear a commotion on deck and she assumed that one of the guards had recovered and informed the crew that she'd escaped.

"Monkey-feathers!" She groaned, looking back apprehensively as she sped up a little. She just had to find her glider and then, she could get out of here. She only hoped Aang was following the ship with Appa and could pick her up.

She took a sharp turn towards a corridor to her right, hoping it would lead to the prince's quarters. After all, this was above decks and quite a bit less dingy than the prison hold. She suddenly skidded to a halt as she caught sight of three soldiers with their swords ready to attack.

"You wouldn't have happened to see my staff around, would you?" She asked weakly, between sharp gasps of air.

The soldiers just blinked and were about to charge when Alya airbended herself so that she was running on the walls and floor in corkscrew circles and escaped the three stunned guards.

"Thanks anyway!" She called out cheekily, chuckling. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and Alya felt thrilled. There was nothing more she enjoyed than using her skills to the fullest and especially in a dangerous situation like this. Gyatso used to call her an adrenaline junkie, a twinkle in his eye. Alya smiled faintly at the old memory.

She propelled herself upward to the next floor and was met with another guard, who thrust a fireball towards her. Alya quickly flipped into the air, angling herself so that her rope-bound hands would catch on the horn of the guard's helmet and break her free.

The guard fell down as Alya continued down the corridor, flexing her newly freed fingers as she opened all the doors littering the sides of the corridor, checking for her staff. She happened upon the old man's room and she grimaced apologetically when she saw him sleeping. She got the impression that he was only following Zuko because he loved the teenager and not because he supported him.

Besides, he seemed to have a good sense of humour.

"Sorry," she whispered as she gently eased the door closed.

She continued down the corridor, before coming to an abrupt stop as she finally spotted her staff in one of the more decorated rooms. She crept up to it, grinning victoriously as she almost neared it…

Only to hear the door slammed behind her. She flinched and turned to face her captor. Zuko.

"Oh. You," she deadpanned.

"Yes, me," he said, smirking a bit. He immediately took a bending stance and made graceful sweeping motions as he shot a stream of fire towards her. Even as she focused on getting away from him, she admired the grace he had as he bended—something she'd only associated with waterbenders and other airbenders.

She evaded most of his attacks by jumping high into the air or towards the side but quickly got annoyed as the fight was going nowhere. She smoothly slid beneath and away from the prince to stand behind him as he looked around the room for her. Alya took a bending stance, mimicking the prince's moves before he finally turned back and shot another fireball at her.

She huffed in annoyance as she was forced to airbend herself to every corner of the room using sharp gusts of wind as Zuko shot a continuous ribbon of fire. Alya hated being an airbender sometimes due to the fact the offensive moves were very hard to perform. All she could do was avoid and defend.

Finally, Alya landed beside a Fire Nation tapestry, which she grabbed quickly and spun it around the prince, tying a little bow at the back as a finishing touch. She smirked and wiggled her fingers in goodbye as Zuko scowled fiercely at her and snatched her staff, heading towards the door.

However, before she could escape, Zuko tore through the fabric of the tapestry and took a starting stance again, challenging her.

"You just don't know when to give up, do you?" Alya asked in annoyance.

Alya levitated the mattress in the corner of the room towards Zuko, slamming him into the wall his left. He fell on the mattress with a groan. Just for good measure, she flicked her staff upwards and slammed him into the ceiling.

"And _stay there!"_ She yelled as she finally escaped the room. She opened a hatch that led her to the bridge and laughed out in delight as she ran out towards the waning sunlight, mounting her glider. _I'm free…_

Suddenly, she felt a weight pulling at her leg, dragging her down. _Zuko, again. Spirits, he's determined to capture me!_

She slammed into the metal of the deck, groaning a bit as pain coursed through her. She gritted her teeth and got up.

"Spirits, you're stubborn, Prince Zuko. Tell me, why is the _prince of the Fire Nation_ bothering with a mission to capture _me_?! Don't you have better things to do?" She yelled, thoroughly annoyed with the fact that her attempts to escape had been thwarted by him at every turn.

"Because my _honour_ depends on it!" Zuko yelled desperately. Alya cocked her head to the side, a little puzzled. That was… not what she expected. Maybe he'd say that it was a pleasure project or a mission he wanted to pursue in his free time.

But he said that his _honour_ depended on it.

Suddenly, she heard the familiar growl of her animal guide from behind her and Alya turned. She could just make out Appa's giant form as he swooped down towards the ship.

"Appa, Aang, you came!" She exclaimed joyfully.

But her momentary distraction was enough for Zuko to attack her. She barely managed to block the sheet of fire that the prince sent her way by spinning her staff. Zuko did not stop his offense though, forcing her to the edge of the deck. She almost overbalanced and fell into the water, but summoned a gust of air towards herself for stability. She was about to breathe a sigh of relief when Zuko began to attack again, relentlessly pummelling her with bursts of fire. Finally, she couldn't defend herself anymore and she overbalanced and fell into the icy waters below.

The darkness of the water surrounding her triggered a memory deep within her and as she sank deeper and deeper, a glow took over her eyes and bled into her tattoos as she rose in a vortex of swirling water.

Avatar Alya was back.

* * *

Zuko watched with wide eyes as the Avatar rose high above his ship, surrounded by a whirlpool of the icy waters. Her hair whipped in the wind, framing her face as her eyes and tattoos glowed a brilliant white blue. There was something so poetic and majestic about the Avatar in her Avatar State, though he doubted she could control it.

When he set out to search for the Avatar, he was prepared to face an old, experienced one—a fully realised Avatar with tremendous abilities. But she… she was just an airbender girl who'd only mastered her original element. Zuko thought it might be easier than expected.

But now, witnessing her prepare to destroy his ship, he realised that it might not be so easy after all.

She landed on the deck, right in the middle of his circle of soldiers. She bended the water swirling around her into a disk and smoothly thrust it outwards, towards him and the soldiers. He yelled as he fell overboard, desperately grabbing on to the sides of the ship, preventing himself from facing an icy death.

No, it wouldn't be that easy, after all.

* * *

Alya collapsed tiredly as the glow of her eyes and tattoos faded, feeling inexplicably fatigued right down to her bones. She remembered reading somewhere that when it was not done properly, the Avatar State was suicidal to the Avatar. She only wished that she'd stayed long enough for her to master the elements and learn to control the Avatar State. Who knows how different the world could've been, only if she'd _stayed_.

She felt the soft fabric of a pair of gloves pulling her up and supporting her and looked up to see Katara peering down at her concernedly. She smiled to assure her that she was alright and got to her feet unsteadily.

"Are you okay, sis?" Aang asked concernedly as he ran towards the trio, having landed Appa on deck.

"Yeah, thanks, little brother." She turned to the Water Tribe siblings with a smile and said, "Hey Katara, Sokka. Thanks for coming to my rescue." She smiled at the two of them.

Sokka rolled his eyes. "Well, I couldn't let you have _all_ the glory, could I? Especially with how annoying you tend to be," he said, grumbling a little.

Alya laughed a little, ignoring the slight pain in her torso. "Just because I'm smarter than you, doesn't mean I'm annoying, Mr. Grump." She chuckled a little more on seeing his disgruntled expression at her statement.

Alya looked around for her staff, her grey eyes scanning the whole deck. "I dropped my staff," she intoned.

"Got it," Sokka answered, running towards said object.

He was just about to grab the staff and return to the group when a hand clutched the other end and Zuko climbed onto the deck, a menacing expression on his face.

"I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a _lot_ of this guy," Aang muttered to Alya before running towards Appa to get him ready. "Alya, get on Appa, we'll handle this! You're in no state to fight," Katara yelled at the airbender. Alya only sighed in agreement before making her way to the bison at a slower pace, mindful of her injuries.

"Ha, that's from the Water Tribe!" Sokka exclaimed as he managed to push Zuko back into the water.

Aang helped Alya into Appa's saddle and coaxed the bison up. Appa shook some water out of his fur and Katara was about to follow Alya when the guards on the deck got up, their weapons at the ready. She took a deep breath and stood in a weak waterbending stance. She swiveled the water on the deck towards the soldiers, trying to make a water whip but bended it towards Sokka instead, encasing his legs in a block of ice.

"Katara!" Sokka complained loudly before beginning to hack at the ice with his boomerang.

"Do it from the opposite side, Katara!" Alya yelled out from the saddle. Katara took her advice and turned towards Sokka, mimicking her move from earlier and moving the water towards the soldiers with her eyes closed.

She turned back to face the soldiers after a moment, only to see that all three of them were frozen to the ground, the nearest soldier's fingers twitching uselessly.

"Hurry up, Sokka!" Alya called out to the Water Tribe boy, who was still chipping away at the ice. He muttered something that sounded like 'just a guy with a boomerang' and 'didn't ask for all this' before finally breaking free from the ice before climbing up Appa's tail and into the saddle.

As they rose up into the sky, Alya could see the old man walking on the deck, rubbing his eyes as if he couldn't believe the spectacle. Alya gave him a cheeky wave, before facing front. She'd escaped. This time, at least.

Appa gave a loud roar as he turned and rose into the sky, heading away from the ship rapidly. Suddenly, Alya, who was keeping a lookout for any further attacks, suddenly said, "Aang there's a lot of fire headed this way! We've got to deflect it!"

The airbending siblings rose in harmony and used their staffs to send a powerful blast of air towards the fireballs to deflect it to the iceberg covering their left. Alya collapsed with exhaustion, watching as the iceberg crumbled and fell, blocking the way for Zuko's ship.

They'd won. For now.

Aang pumped his fist in victory before turning to face the other three in Appa's saddle, all of whom looked sombre and serious.

"Alya…" Katara began. "That thing you did with the water? It was the most amazing thing I'd ever seen. How'd you do it?" She questioned, wonder filling her eyes.

"I did it because… well… my life was in danger and my past lives didn't like it. They saved me, just like they did a hundred years ago by encasing me in ice," Alya answered, pulling her knees up to her chest.

"Well, you're the Avatar, then. Why didn't you tell us?" Katara asked, looking hurt.

Alya looked down shamefully. "When the monks told me I was the Avatar, they told me something else, too. Something that made me run away. In those moments, I never wanted to be the Avatar." Alya looked at the water drifting below them, a single tear slipping down her face.

"But the whole world's been waiting for you to put an end to this war, Alya," Katara said gently.

"I knew it then, I know it now," Alya answered taking a deep breath. "And this time, I won't run away from my destiny. I just… want to know how I can save the world. How can I master three elements? Where will I find the teachers in such a fragmented world?"

"You will. And we will help you. You have to master waterbending first, right?" Aang asked, a rare, serious expression on his face. Alya nodded at him. "Well, we _did_ promise Katara that we'd take her to the North Pole. I'm pretty sure we can find you a teacher in the same place, am I right?" Aang asked the familiar silly grin back in place.

Alya rolled her eyes at her little brother before cuffing him on his head. "Idiot."

"Well, that's settled then!" Katara said, clapping her hands together. "We'll head for the North Pole, where Alya and I can learn waterbending. Aang, I'm sure we'll do some fun things along the way," she said, smiling at the younger boy. "Sokka, how would you like to bash some Fire Nation head?"

Sokka rubbed her hands together in anticipation. "I'd like that. I'd _really_ like that."

Alya smiled her widest. "Then we're in this together."

"Speaking of fun things…" Aang intoned, producing a map after rummaging through their bags for a while. "We have some serious business to attend to here, here, and here." Aang proceeded to explain his 'fun activities' to an earnest Katara and an exasperated Sokka as Alya hid her giggles behind a fist, watching the sun sink beneath the water as they continued to head North, their destination firmly in mind.

* * *

"Good news for the Fire Lord," Iroh said calmly, as he kneeled on the deck of the ship, watching his nephew bow his head in defeat. "The biggest threat to the Fire Nation is just a teenage girl."

Zuko got up and stared at the avalanche of ice.

"That _teenage girl,_ Uncle, just did _this,_ " he said, pointing to the ice. There was some amount of respect in his statement and Iroh raised an eyebrow.

 _Interesting._

"I won't underestimate her again," he muttered to himself, closing his eyes as he thought about grey eyes taunting him, besting him in a fight.

He took a deep breath and commanded, "Dig this ship out! We are to follow the Avatar!"

It was only then he noticed the soldiers firebending their fellow officers out of their icy prison. Zuko added uncomfortably, "After you're done with that, of course."

Iroh chuckled as he watched his nephew storm off the deck, thinking of the Avatar and her quick smile and the peculiar way his nephew reacted to her.

 _Interesting, indeed._

* * *

 **19.08.18**

Hi, I'm back with another chapter. Nothing major happening here, mostly the same as the episode, but Alya and Zuko are introduced to each other! I couldn't really cut it out of the story. On that note, I might be cutting out some unnecessary chapters, like the ones involving the episode 'Imprisoned' or something like that, since it mostly focuses on Katara. I'll replace it with a chapter which focuses on Alya's personal story arc. There'll be much more original stuff in the future chapters.

Please review! Thank you to _stkichi, Arianna Le Fay, Znkp_ and _Guest_ who reviewed the previous chapters and encouraged me to continue this story. :D

~noelle


	4. Chapter 3: Ghosts of the Past

_**Chapter Three**_

 _Ghosts of the Past_

* * *

 **" _The past is a very determined ghost, haunting at every chance it gets._ "**

 _\- Laura Miller_

* * *

"Aang, get Appa ready, won't you?" Alya called out to her brother as she fastened the straps of her sleeping bag, tucking her belongings into the roll.

"Yup! On it!" Aang replied, hopping up to fasten Appa's reins. He glanced back at Katara, who was in the saddle, messing around with their supplies. "Wait till you see Katara!" He exclaimed cheerfully. "The Air Temple is one of the most beautiful places in the world."

Alya furrowed her brows in apprehension at that. She knew that Katara had told Aang about the war—but it wasn't enough for him to understand the fate of the Air Nomads. Alya had been devastated to learn what had happened to her people after she'd run away. She could only hope that some of the Air Nomads had survived the attacks and were hiding in the Temple. There was a very slim chance that anyone could've survived, but Alya held on to it.

"Aang, I know you're excited, but it's been a hundred years since you've been home," Katara said gently, an apprehensive expression on her face as she looked at him.

"That's why I'm so excited!" Aang replied, looking away from his job to give Katara a bright smile.

"What Katara means is that the war has affected the Air Nomads too, Aang. And I don't think we'll like the consequences," Alya said, sighing as the now-familiar guilt plagued her heart. She looked away from Katara's sympathetic expression and Aang's slightly confused face to face the sunrise.

"Alya's right, Aang, a lot has changed in the past hundred years," Katara said.

"I know," Aang replied, jumping down from Appa's head. "But I need to see it for myself."

Alya just sighed at her brother's unwillingness to believe her and Katara. She wondered if she should tell her brother the whole truth, but she couldn't imagine facing his devastated expression. Unlike Alya, who wasn't very attached to the Airbenders as a whole, Aang was the model Airbender, having mastered Airbending two years earlier than usual and he fit seamlessly into the dynamic of their people. That made Aang much more attached to the concept of the Air Nomads. If Alya had been extremely saddened by the extinction of their race, Aang would be devastated beyond belief. Alya would like to protect her little brother from that a little while longer at least. Besides, she was still clinging to the hope that some of the Airbenders had survived.

Alya watched Aang laugh merrily as Sokka jumped around, terrified by the younger airbender's prank. His grey eyes were lit up with mirth and mischief and a small smile touched her face at the sight.

 _No, I can't tell him. Not now._

Idly, her thoughts wandered back to Gyatso. She could still remember his kind smile and warmth as he encased her in one of his comforting hugs after the meeting with the monks. Gyatso had been the only parent she'd ever known—fulfilling the roles of both mother and father to her. She'd felt terrible running away from her responsibilities, going against everything Gyatso had told her. She prayed to the spirits that he'd somehow escaped the Fire Nation's attacks and lived peacefully for the rest of his life.

A sudden ache overtook her and she longed to be back at the beautiful Air Temple that she'd once called home. She longed to spend her days idyllically, in meditation, training, and frivolity like she had done all those years ago.

She got up from her spot beside the lake's shore and said, "C'mon then, let's go. Sokka quit being a human caterpillar and get on Appa," she ordered him, her lips quirked in a small smile. "I'll drive today. We're going home," she whispered the last part, nostalgia touching her words.

* * *

Alya's hair whipped in the wind as she guided Appa towards their destination, her lips curved into a smirk as she and Aang played a little game of trying to knock each other off the bison with gusts of wind.

Alya laughed as she sent a particularly strong blast of air towards Aang and he fell over Appa's saddle, flailing and screaming as he fell. "Aang!" Katara yelled, looking disbelievingly at Alya as she giggled uncontrollably, clutching her sides. However, the waterbender's expression morphed into one of relief as Aang regained control and flew back to the saddle, his hands twirling gracefully as he bended the air.

"I win, little brother," Alya said, grinning. "You owe me a fruitcake, now." It was an old game they played, ever since Aang was old enough to bend. Both of them knew that they couldn't get hurt when they fell and it was just a bit of fun, even though Gyatso was slightly disapproving of their frivolity.

"Oh, _alright,_ " Aang grouched, a pout on his face. "I'll get you one once we're at the temple."

Alya's grin immediately fell at Aang's statement. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Sokka, who had been rummaging through their supplies.

"Speaking of fruitcakes made me hungry," he whined. His stomach growled audibly. "Hey, stomach, be _quiet,_ alright? I'm trying to find some food." He poked about the bags some more before asking indignantly, " _Hey,_ who ate all my blubbered seal jerky?"

Alya's eyebrows rose in surprise. "Oh, that was food? I used it as kindling for the campfire yesterday night. Sorry, Grumps," she replied, her lips pulled into a small smirk.

"You _what?!"_ Sokka demanded, throwing his head back. "Aw, no wonder the flames smelled so good last night. And _don't_ call me Grumps." He huffed angrily, looking out at the landscape as Appa flew below the clouds.

"You're right, Boomerang Boy suits you much better," Alya agreed amicably, grinning as Katara and Aang burst out into laughter.

Alya pulled at Appa's reins sharply, causing him to swoop down and towards the east sharply, revealing the majestic mountain range that surrounded them—a clear indication to how near they were to the Air Temple. Aang's face lit up. "Look, Alya, it's the Batola mountain range! We're almost there!" He exclaimed excitedly. His sister just smiled at him indulgently, but her smile didn't quite reach her eyes.

"Aang? We need to talk about… about what happened after we left." Alya said, twisting in her position so that she was facing the others fully.

"What about it?" Aang asked, pulling his eyes away from the misty peaks of the mountains.

"Aang… the Fire Nation is ruthless. We just want you to be prepared for what you might see. Everyone says that the Air Nomads were completely wiped out by the Fire Nation. They kill everyone who stands in their way," Katara said before her face darkened and she turned away. "They killed my mother, you know. They might've done the same to your people."

Aang looked from Katara to Alya, hoping to find some comfort in his sister's face, but she was grim and looking as if she carried the guilt of the world. Aang's face was pensive for a moment before it morphed into a hopeful expression. "Just because no one's _seen_ an airbender for a hundred years doesn't mean they're all gone. They probably escaped—there's a lot of secret chambers and passages in the Air Temple, y'know."

Alya shook her head. "I only hope you are right, Aang."

Katara sighed. "I know how hard it must be for you both to accept this, but…"

"You don't understand, Katara. The only way to get to an airbender temple is on a flying bison, and I doubt the Fire Nation has any flying bison. Right, Appa?" Aang rubbed Appa's soft fur on his torso and the bison growled, seemingly in affirmative.

"Oh, there's the Lhotse peak," Alya exclaimed. "First-time fliers, hold on tight!" Alya braced herself as she tugged on Appa's reins, causing him to change direction to fly directly upwards. Alya's eyes watered due to the sheer velocity of the wind that hit her face. The air was almost painfully cold, but Alya knew it wouldn't be too bad once they were at the top of the peak.

Finally, she spotted the familiar blue-grey spires of the temple and brought Appa to a halt, revelling in the contrast of the cool air caressing her skin against the crisp warmth of the sun.

She turned back to face Katara and Sokka, a grin on her face. "Welcome to the Southern Air Temple," she said, offering the usual Air Nomad greeting of her right fist against her left palm.

"It's amazing!" Katara exclaimed in awe, her blue eyes wide as she took in the vista before her.

"We're home, Aang. We're home," Alya whispered as her brother crawled forward to sit beside her, his thin arm wound around her shoulders.

* * *

"Race you to the airball field, sis!" Aang yelled as he zoomed forward on an air scooter. Alya's slight frown lifted as she grinned and made a scooter of her own.

"Hey, no fair, you got a head start!" She shouted back, ignoring Katara's slightly consternated look and Sokka's grumbles.

She slowed down as she spotted her brother looking over a ledge, smiling as she spotted the achingly familiar sights. Although there was a great difference between then and now. A hundred years ago, the Temple was teeming with life. And now… now, it was just an abandoned relic.

She felt the tiny thread of hope she was holding on to snap, an overwhelming tide of emotions threatening to break and shatter her to pieces. She'd been so blase about the matter of the war till now… and _now,_ looking at the bleak reality of the changes wrought in the temple she understood just how bad the war had gotten during her absence.

"So that's where Alya and I would play airball!" Aang explained to the Water Tribe siblings, his excited voice snapping Alya out of her reverie. He pointed to the right, next, gesturing to the bison's meadow—once lush with grass and herbs, but now it was just a pile of snow and weeds. "And that's where the bison would sleep… and—" Aang cut himself off, a despondent expression replacing his excitement.

"What's wrong?" Katara asked, her blue eyes shining with concern.

"This place used to be full of monks and lemurs and bison. And now…"

"Now, all there's left is just a bunch of weeds and dead people," Alya interrupted coldly. Aang looked shocked and stricken while Katara just looked sympathetic. Sokka, surprisingly, was the one who looked worried. _Perhaps he's concerned for my sanity,_ Alya mused. _I wouldn't blame him._

Alya turned abruptly, ignoring the others as she made her way up the winding paths carved into the mountain.

She needed some time alone.

* * *

Somehow, she found herself near an old, mildewed statue of Gyatso. She was rather surprised to find _his_ statue, of all the monks, gracing the entrance of the temple. It wasn't there when she had run away. The airbenders must've put the statue up during the short period between her disappearance and the Fire Nation's attack on the temple.

She could remember her old master's voice echoing in the training chamber as she recalled one of the most powerful memories she had of him.

 _Alya panted, sweat dripping down her forehead and her hair sticking to her skin. She was standing with her staff in hand, her stance imitating the one of her teacher's perfectly. Suddenly, she whirled and a gust of air whipped outwards from her staff, towards the row of candles surrounding her. They were all extinguished within seconds._

" _Good, very good," Gyatso intoned, a proud smile on his face. He'd relaxed from the starting stance—the one Alya had to correct to get this particular form right. His arms were buried within the deep sleeves of his shirt, an approving expression on his wizened face. "See? The smallest mistake can throw you off course, young pupil. You must learn to achieve perfection in whatever you do." He walked towards his young ward, placing a hand on her shoulder as he spoke further. "However, you must_ never _lose yourself in your quest for perfection. That would be the most miserable thing indeed."_

" _You should write a book, Gyatso," Alya said, chuckling a little. "About wisdom and inspiration."_

" _Perhaps I will, Alya," he said, a twinkle in his eye._

 _They laughed together for a little while, before Alya's expression became somber, as she stared at the younger kids having their lessons outdoors, on the sky bison._

" _Aang had a dream yesterday."_

 _Gyatso looked at her quizzically, trying to decipher her tone. "About what?"_

" _He dreamed about our parents… He saw them abandon us here and walk away, while all he could do was struggle and cry." She closed her eyes, remember the manic look in her brother's eyes as he'd come to her room for comfort early in the morning. "He came to me in tears in the morning, Gyatso… I've never seen him so upset before."_

" _I see." Gyatso sighed. "I wish I could tell you about your parents, Alya. I wish I could tell you their history and justify their actions, but I'm afraid it's not my place to do so. The council decided they would reveal all the secrets they've kept about you in the spring of your sixteenth year."_

" _All the secrets they've kept about me?" Alya asked, her eyebrows raised incredulously._

" _I've always told you that you were special, young one." Gyatso smiled fondly. "And in time, you'll see I was right."_

 _Alya hummed noncommittally, mulling over her mentor's words._

" _Just remember, the world may hurt you, Alya, over and over again. And you_ will _make mistakes because of it. Some of them will be inconsequential while others might be so powerful that they could change the whole world." Alya's brows knitted at this statement. Change the whole world? That seemed like something Gyatso would say to someone with enormous responsibilities, not_ her. " _But what you have to remember is that your mistakes are_ your _responsibilities and no one else's. And that means that it's your duty to accept your mistake, learn from it and take the right steps to amend it. You can never change your destiny, but you can always alter the course you take to reach it."_

 _Gyatso's eyes looked thousands of years old, as he stared out at the beautiful sights of the Air Temple. Alya herself remained quiet, her teacher's words echoing in her mind. She felt as though there was something very important that he was hiding from her, but she'd let it go, for now._

" _So, what do you say to a lesson in cooking next?" Gyatso questioned, much more cheerfully than before. "The boys always run away when I ask them if they're up for it. And besides, your airbending might have almost attained perfection, but your fruitcakes are still as bland as the day you first tried to make them!" He chuckled as Alya sputtered, leading them away from the training room and towards the kitchens, bantering with his young ward as he did so._

Alya opened her eyes, ignoring the tears pricking at their corners. She looked up at the stone eyes of Gyatso's statue, somehow looking as kind as the real Gyatso's eyes had been. She bowed formally to her mentor.

 _Thank you, for everything, Gyatso._

She felt a hand rest gently on her shoulder and turned back. Katara was looking at her with curiosity and compassion in her eyes. "Who's that?"

"That's Gyatso. He mentored my brother and I. Though… he was much more than a mentor to us. He was the only parent I'd ever known." Alya looked down, blinking her tears away. "I never had any real friends to speak of in the Temple—I was the only girl amongst all the students here. Aang used to hang out with his friends all the time, while I was left all by myself. Gyatso was always the one who kept me company, teaching me, training me… and well, just _being there_ for me _._ "

"You must miss him a lot," Katara commented quietly.

Alya felt the familiar sting of tears at the corners of her eyes again. "Yeah, I do."

Suddenly, another memory came to mind. Or more specifically, something the Chief Monks had told her during that fateful meeting before her escapade.

 _Soon, you will be allowed to enter the Air Temple Sanctuary, to receive the wisdom that all Avatars do upon their initiation to the concept. Tomorrow, actually. You must meditate and prepare yourself for it today._ The Chief Monk's nasally voice invaded her brain.

Almost on instinct, her feet began to move, climbing up the old worn stairs towards the path she knew led to the Sanctuary.

"Where are you going?" Aang's voice piped up from behind her. She turned back to face him.

"The Air Temple Sanctuary. I am ready to gain the wisdom that I require," she replied, climbing up the steps with practiced ease.

* * *

As she walked down the corridor, memories invaded Alya's mind. The Pai Sho room, where she'd always play with Gyatso and Hira—one of the younger nuns who looked after the bison. The room where she'd received her initiation tattoos, and then watched Aang receive his two years younger than Alya herself. The Monks' meeting room, where she'd received the news about being the Avatar… Every other door led to some room that held some significance to her. Alya had spent her whole life at the temple, and that meant she had sixteen years' worth of memories hidden away in the depths of her mind.

She wondered whether her room was still intact. The dorms for the students were located up in the towers of the great Temple, and being the only girl, she had been given a room high up in the tower, isolated from everyone else's dorms. It had sometimes made her feel lonely, but she'd usually enjoyed the peace and quiet.

Alya and the other three came to a stop in front of a huge wooden door, guarded by a large, intricate lock consisting of two funnels jutting out from either side of it and three circular Air Nomad symbols. They were connected by a set of complicated metal pipes.

"Whatever's behind those doors are supposed to give me the knowledge that… all Avatars receive." There was a note of doubt in Alya's voice.

"Alya? Do you think someone could've hidden there from the Fire Nation?" Aang's hopeful voice piped up from the back of the group.

"Perhaps…" She said, flatly, still staring at the doors of the sanctuary.

"No one could've survived in there for a hundred years, Aang," Katara reasoned.

"Alya and I survived in the iceberg, didn't we?" Aang questioned.

"Good point."

"And whoever's in there might have a medley of delicious cured meats!" Sokka interrupted, rubbing his hands together in greedy anticipation. He ran headlong towards the door, only to slam against it with a _thunk._ He got up and tried to push against the wood again, straining with the effort he was putting into the action, but it was to no avail.

"I don't suppose you have a key?" Sokka asked Alya weakly.

"Well, I could let you in if you stopped acting like a lunatic and let me open the door," Alya said, rolling her eyes. Sokka moved away from the door and Alya readied herself in an airbending stance.

"You asked for a key, right? Well, the key is airbending." Alya inhaled and exhaled deeply. She raised her arms and put her right leg forward firmly, summoning two gusts of air and aiming them at the two funnels. The circular disks flipped, one by one until the mechanism worked fully and the doors were opened.

The interior of the sanctuary was dark, drafty and seemingly very large. Alya stepped in first as if in a trance, her large grey eyes surveying her surroundings. What kind of _wisdom_ was she supposed to receive inside a dark, damp room that had been locked for more than a century? _Silly girl, you shouldn't have thought that things would remain the same after so long._

"Hello? Anyone home?" Aang's voice called out into the darkness. There was no answer, except for the echo of her brother's voice.

Alya walked further into the sanctuary, where she could see the silhouettes of several humanoid figures. They were statues of people, all standing proud, staring down at her with their imperious gaze. Her eyes moved to the last statue in the spiralling order they'd been placed. It was a statue of a Firebender, or someone from the Fire Nation, at least—if the top knot and dressing style was anything to go by. His eyes were hypnotising… Alya couldn't look away from them. She felt something stir deep within her. Something primal and important. She could hear indistinct whispers surfacing in her conscious mind as if someone was trying to speak with her, but she could only hear muffled words.

"Alya, cut it out!" Katara's voice broke Alya out of her trance. "Do you know him?"

"That's Avatar Roku. He was the Avatar before me," Alya answered, her voice quiet and contemplative.

"You were a firebender?" Sokka popped up behind his sister, his eyes narrowed. "No wonder I didn't trust you when we first met."

Alya ignored Sokka as she turned back to face Avatar Roku. "The monks once told me that I'd receive wisdom that all Avatars do when I would be allowed to enter the Air Temple Sanctuary. I think I understand now. The wisdom they were talking about… I think it lies in the fact that I can contact my past lives. When I was standing in front of Roku's statue… I felt as if he was speaking to me, in spirit, if not in real life. But it's not enough if I just stare at a statue. I need a way to communicate with him." She blinked, looking at Roku's stern eyes.

"How can you do that?" Katara questioned.

Alya's eyebrows furrowed. "I have no idea."

Suddenly, all four of them heard a soft noise coming from the open doorway, and they turned. They could see someone casting a long shadow, heading towards the Sanctuary. Sokka pulled Alya behind one of the statues.

" _Firebenders,_ " he whispered, holding his gloved hand up to his mouth. "Nobody make a sound."

" _You're_ making a sound," Katara retaliated, loudly. Alya glared at her fiercely, telling her to shut up. Aang shushed her.

Sokka lifted his spear, looking at the shadow stretching towards them. "That firebender won't know what hit him," he said, smirking a bit.

He jumped out from behind the statue, weapon raised and teeth bared. However, he lowered it only a moment later. Alya peeked out from behind the statue and a delighted smile appeared on her face.

"Lemur!" Aang yelled beside her, and Alya laughed.

"Dinner," Sokka drooled beside her.

"Don't listen to that idiot, you're going to be my new pet," Alya said, crawling forward so that she wouldn't scare the tiny animal away.

"Not if I get him first!" Sokka exclaimed, still drooling over the prospect of making the lemur a meal.

"Ha, you _wish_ you'd catch him first." Alya let out an exultant laugh as she lunged at the animal, just as Sokka did the same.

The lemur's fur was raised, agitated and frightened by the two people leaping out at him. Alya pushed Sokka back as she ran agilely, trying to gain a head start over the Water Tribe boy. Sokka quickly recovered, yelling as he followed Alya out of the sanctuary, hot on her heels.

He tried to trip her using his weapon but Alya just shifted her feet to the wall on her left, running on it as she snickered at Sokka's dumbstruck expression. She sped up with the help of a gust of air and sent another towards Sokka, knocking him down as she continued down the hallway and into the open air, as the lemur opened his bat-like wings to fly away.

Alya, however, was not deterred, as she leapt off the railing and into the open air, letting out a chuckle as she leapt from a rocky ledge to another. She'd missed this so much—the feeling of the rapid wind against her cheeks and the adrenaline coursing through her veins.

Tears formed in her eyes, but she didn't care. She was _so close…_

The lemur stopped on one of the larger ledges jutting out from the mountain just below her and she landed with the grace of a cat. She tried to catch him between her hands but the lemur was too quick for her.

"Come on, lemur, I won't hurt you!" Alya called out as she walked slowly towards the cave-like structure that the lemur had disappeared into. It was covered by a decaying cloth, and Alya wondered if it had been a safe house for the airbenders to keep away from the Fire Nation soldiers.

She parted the cloth and went inside, to discover another such covering. "It's okay, the hungry guy won't bother you anymore," she promised, as she went further inside.

The slight smile on her face dropped as she surveyed the insides of the structure. There were skeletons covered with blood-red cloth and black armour. Helmets resembling skulls lay beside the grotesque remains.

"Firebenders…" Alya's voice was barely a whisper.

Her eyes moved towards the right, taking in the terrible scene before her. Right in the center of the place, half-buried in the snow was another skeleton, covered in tattered orange and yellow clothes. Alya's eyes widened further at the sight, filling with tears.

She recognised that medallion.

 _Gyatso chuckled indulgently as a younger Alya looked up at him pleadingly, her arms open—a gesture which clearly meant that she wanted to be picked up. She was tired of walking around the temple._

" _Alright, young one, since you insist," Gyatso submitted to her demand. The seven-year-old Alya laughed delightedly as she was lifted up into the air. She settled against the old monk's chest contentedly, tired from the day's activities. Gyatso and Alya had simply wandered around the temple as her mentor had narrated various stories—legends or otherwise—about the Airbenders of the Southern Air Temple._

" _What is this necklace for, Gyatso?" Alya asked, her curious grey eyes staring into Gyatso's old, wise ones._

" _That marks me as a master airbender, young one," Gyatso explained, gently, "It signifies that I have earned my place as an Air Nomad."_

" _Oh." Alya fiddled with the big wooden disk. "Will I get one, too?"_

 _Gyatso chuckled. "If you continue to do well in your lessons as you are doing now, and work hard, you definitely will."_

 _Alya beamed at her old mentor. "Okay! I'm gonna wear one of these, just like you, Monk Gyatso!"_

Alya fell to the ground, her hair shrouding her features as she sobbed.

Gyatso had died at the hands of the firebenders.

And it was _all because of her._

She vaguely felt someone's hand on her shoulder, comforting her, trying to lead her away from the nightmarish scene, but it was of no use. Her body moved in its own volition, the Avatar Spirit taking over…

* * *

Katara and Aang stood in the Sanctuary, wandering among the statues. Aang had made to follow after Sokka and Alya, but she'd stopped him, saying that she'd rather not be left alone with the creepy statues.

They came to a stop in front of Avatar Roku's statue. "He kinda looks strict, doesn't he?" Aang commented, cocking his head to the side as he studied the statue.

"Yeah," Katara answered as she studied the Avatar's features. Suddenly, the statue's eyes began to glow an incandescent blue that she was now familiar with. It was the exact same blue she's seen when Alya had entered the Avatar State.

"Alya," Katara and Aang breathed out in unison.

They looked at each other before rushing out of the Sanctuary towards the balcony. They could see Sokka and Alya right below them, through a broken roof—the latter was surrounded by a protective sphere of air, her tattoos glowing. Sokka was cowering away from the whipping wind. Aang quickly picked Katara up in his and flew right down, cushioning their fall with a gust of air.

It was almost impossible for the two to walk towards Alya—the wind was unforgivingly strong and vicious. Finally, they made it to the broken wall that Sokka was hiding behind and bent down to shield themselves from the furious wind.

"What happened?" Katara yelled over the howling wind, her eyes trained on Alya's rising form.

"She found out that Gyatso was killed by the Firebenders!" Sokka shouted back.

"What?" Aang asked, tears forming in his eyes. " _No…_ "

"Aang, it's okay, we're here for you now," Katara offered the younger boy a brief hug in comfort, before turning back to her brother. "Alya must've triggered her Avatar Spirit. Aang, come with me. We're gonna try and calm her down."

"Well, do it fast, before she blows us right off this mountain!" Sokka yelled, clutching desperately at the wall as he tried to stay put.

Aang wiped his tears away and nodded. He led the way, closing in on his sister, using his bending to resist against the speeding wind.

"Alya! Alya, _please,_ I know you're upset… And I know how hard it is to lose the people you love. I went through the same thing when I lost my mom. Monk Gyatso and the other airbenders may be gone, but you still have a family. You still have Aang! Sokka and I, we'll be family to both of you now!" Katara's appeal didn't seem to calm Alya enough, but she did turn towards the sound of her voice. "Aang, you talk to her!"

"Alya, I know you're in pain. Spirits, I can imagine how much pain you're in… but, _please,_ calm down. Gyatso… I'm so sorry that you had to see him like that, but you must remember that he loved you and that _I_ love you. Alya… _please…_ " Aang pleaded, putting up a hand to shield himself against the raging maelstrom of wind.

Slowly, the wind calmed and Alya drifted down towards the ground, the glow fading slowly from her tattoos and eyes. Katara walked forward cautiously. Aang following behind her. He took one of Alya's hands in his own, and the eerie glow disappeared completely.

Sokka stood beside Katara, a soft expression on his face. "I promise that Katara and I will protect you and your brother, Alya. No matter what it takes."

Alya teetered on her feet and fell to the ground, an exhausted expression on her face. "Sorry," she whispered, weakly, her grey eyes blinking up at her brother's concerned expression.

"It's not your fault, Alya," Katara assured her as she helped her up to her feet and encased the elder girl in a warm hug.

"The Firebenders were here… and that means that they invaded the other three temples, too," she said, looking at Aang with a pained expression. "We're the last airbenders alive, Aang."

Aang nodded despondently, wrapping his arms around his sister as she pulled him into a hug. "It's okay. At least we have each other."

She smiled, placing a quick, fond kiss on the center of his forehead. "I dunno what I'd do without you, little brother."

"We should get going," Sokka chipped in, looking at the sun setting towards the west. "It's pretty late already."

"Yeah," Alya agreed. "Just… give me a few moments. I have something I need to do."

* * *

Her old room was exactly as it had been a hundred years ago. Except, everything was now covered with a thick layer of dust. Alya stepped into the room cautiously, as if she was afraid of what might happen if she rushed in.

A barrage of unpleasant memories assaulted her, the blinding flashes of lightning ghosting in front of her eyes. She fingered her jade bracelet—something she hadn't done since she'd woken up from the iceberg. The action reminded her of how soothing it was to do it.

Her wardrobe was full of moth-bitten clothes and musty smelling cobwebs. She closed it as soon as she had it open, deciding that she'd leave that alone. Her desk was surprisingly intact, the metal and wood quite old, perhaps, but the paper of the books she'd left behind was still intact, if a bit yellowed and fragile. A black notebook caught her eye, and she picked it up, running her hands over the slightly decomposed leather. It was her journal. She opened a random page, reading the words written in ink which had become faint and almost unreadable.

 _12 June_

 _I lashed out at one of the boys today when he said that I couldn't play airball with him and his friends_. _Monk Heshang assigned me to the bison stables for three weeks as a punishment. It wasn't even like I caused any_ real _damage to Giru—I just made him fall over with a gust of wind! Monk Gyatso says that's against the ideals of airbending—to use it for violence. He says that I must keep a level head and let go of anger._

 _Easy for_ him _to say._

 _Anyway, I promised I'd meet Aang in the training rooms so that I'd teach him the more advanced forms of airbending that he's not allowed to do. My little brother is freakishly good at airbending. I'm a little jealous of him. I won't be surprised if he gets his initiation tattoos before he turns fourteen._

 _I have to go. I'll write more later._

 _Alya_

They were the words of a more naive version of herself, younger and more carefree. How different things were, from then and now. She sighed, closing the book. There were several more entries in the same journal: almost two years' worth of Alya's words, but she wasn't up for reading them.

She was staring out of the window, lost in her thoughts when she heard the door opening.

"Alya? Are you here?"

"Hey, Aang." She smiled at her little brother.

He looked around the room. "Wow, it's pretty much the same, huh," he mused. He noticed the book in Alya's hands. "Is that your journal?"

She ran her hand gently over the yellowed paper. "Yeah. Seems like a long time has passed since I wrote it." Her lips quirked up. "Like a hundred years."

Aang chuckled quietly, moving to stand beside his sister. "You should bring them along, I think," he said.

Alya looked askance of her little brother and he shrugged. "Well, I never had the patience to keep a diary or something of that sort and I kind of regret it now. I don't have anything to help me remember this place. But you do. I bet it will bring you a lot of comfort reading them. Even the trivial stuff."

Alya kept quiet for a moment, before smiling. "You know what? I think you're right. I'll bring it. It's a little book anyway. It'll fit in my bag."

Aang gave his sister a hug before moving to the door. "I'm glad. C'mon, Katara and Sokka are waiting for us with Appa. We need to get going if we're gonna make it to the North Pole before spring."

Alya scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Like a few minutes will make _any_ difference."

Aang laughed and exited the room. She took one last look at the dusty little place, before grabbing her journal and following Aang to the courtyard, where the Water Tribe siblings waited.

* * *

When Alya returned to the courtyard, Sokka was feasting on a pile of fruits, Aang and Katara laughing by his side. Alya quirked an eyebrow at the scene before she felt a warm weight land on her shoulder.

"Well, hello, little guy," she greeted the lemur she'd chased through the Temple just a few hours ago. "I see the lemur warmed up to you, Sokka."

"Can't talk. Must eat," Sokka garbled through mouthfuls of fruit.

Aang joined his sister, petting the lemur's head. The siblings looked at the Temple they'd once called home. "You, me, Alya and Appa. We're all that's left of this place," Aang said wistfully. "And that means we have to stick together."

"And we will, Aang," Alya vowed, hugging her brother briefly. "Katara, Sokka, what do you think we should call the newest member of our family?" She questioned as the lemur hopped from her shoulder towards Sokka, stealing a fruit from him just as he was about to bite into it.

"Hey!" Sokka yelled indignantly as the lemur returned to Aang, curling around his shoulders as he nibbled the fruit.

"I think we should name him… Momo," he said, contemplatively.

"Perfect." Alya grinned. "Lighten up, Sokka, you still have plenty of fruit left to eat!" She chuckled as the Water Tribe boy grumbled and plopped down, biting into another fruit.

Alya didn't look back at the Temple until she'd led Appa towards the North for a few miles, at least. Appa grumbled as she turned back to face the blue turrets of the Air Temple, as it was slowly being obscured by the mist surrounding the mountains.

"I know, buddy," she said to her bison. "I'll miss home, too." She gave the temple one last look as if committing it to memory before turning away.

She didn't look back again.

* * *

 **22.08.18**

Back with another chapter on Wednesday! I hope you like this chapter since it was my personal favourite so far. It's getting a little deeper into Alya's past, but we're not quite there yet. :P It'll take a few more chapters before I delve into the topic of Alya's parents. It'll probably begin with the chapter on Omashu. At least, that's how I planned it.

This mainly focuses on Gyatso and Alya's relationship, and how Alya's life was in the Temple. Due to her being the only female student at the Temple (Thank you to stkichi for this information!) I modified her relationship with Gyatso so that she looked up to the monk a lot, and considered him a parent. I hope you enjoyed the little tidbits of Alya's past scattered in the story. The journal will definitely make a few more appearances through the story.

I think I'll come back and edit the chapter because I'm not quite happy with how it flows. But I'll probably do it a lot later, once I'm done writing all the chapters.

Thanks to _stkichi_ and _Arianna Le Fay,_ for their wonderful reviews, yet again!

Thanks for reading. Please, please review! I must say, I was a little disappointed when I only received two reviews for the previous chapter. I mean, over 250 visitors to the story, but only two of them reviewed? A little disappointing. I really want to hear what you think. If there's anything I have to improve upon, can do better, plot points, anything! Tell me what you think. :D

~noelle


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